As imaging devices become smaller, each light-sensitive element in the imaging devices tend to have a reduced light-collecting area. For this reason, it is desirable to maximize the infrared absorption of each light-sensitive element so that as much of the infrared energy that is incident on the light-sensitive element is collected and detected. However, it can be challenging to improve the absorption of a detector using conventional methods.
As a result, there is a need for improved techniques for enhancing the infrared absorption of light-sensitive elements for imaging devices such as microbolometers for infrared cameras.